Are you looking for something other than a cup of coffee to drink with donuts?
Plain black coffee and donuts are inseparable, no one is trying to argue that point. They are a classic pairing that goes with glazed, plain, baked, or even with jam or cream filled donuts.
Hot donuts always taste better when served with foods such as eggs, ham, yogurt, or cheese, it can add nutritional balance to the meal instead of only consuming loads of sugar and carbs.
What to drink with donuts? Classically, donuts go wonderfully with coffee.
If you are not into coffee, then we won’t judge you. Consider cider, milk, hot chocolate, wine, and smoothies are also an excellent alternative option to drink with donuts.
When pairing wine with donuts, the type of donuts will impact the selection:
- Glazed: Merlot
- Plain: Chardonnay
- Chocolate: Shiraz, Banyuls
- Frosted: Moscato, Riesling
- Jelly: Zinfandel
- Creme: Ruby Port
- Maple Bacon: Pinotage, sparkling wine
Donuts have an enjoyable texture, sweet flavor, and aesthetically appealing sprinkles if you’re lucky. On a deeper level, the aroma and any positive reinforcements only enhance the donut’s flavor and enjoyment.
The raised temperature brings in interest and contrast in the food, making it dissolve easily, increasing the taste reaction, especially with the right beverage. So, what drinks should be paired with delicious donuts? Read through to find out more!
What drinks to pair with donuts?
Whether it is plain, glazed or frosted, all donuts pair well with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
Here are classic drink pairings to serve with donuts:
- Wine: Merlot, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Banyuls, Moscato, Riesling, Zinfandel, Ruby Port, sparkling wine, Asti, Champagne, Moscato, Vin Santo
- Smoothies: strawberries, blueberries, banana, orange, lemon, pineapple
- Tea: sencha, jasmine green tea, hibiscus tea, peppermint tea, chamomile tea, black tea
- Juices: cranberry, beet, pomegranate, orange, grapefruit, apple, tomato, prune
- Milk: almond milk, dairy milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, soy milk, rice milk
- Coffee: espresso, latte, caffe macchiato, iced coffee, frappe, café au lait, cold brew, americano, cappuccino, mocha
- Other drinks: cider, milk, hot chocolate
Does milk go with donuts?
Yes, milk goes with donuts. In fact, it offers a contrasting mellow flavor to the sweet and solid taste of donuts.
Then there’s the savory or umami aspect of milk. Milk also provides the proper mouth-coating sensation while triggering the brain cells to the first umami flavor in smooth and creamy milk.
Donuts also need a little liquid to aid in the lubrication process. Its cool temperature is all a hot donut needs and milk can be served various ways including malted, chocolate, or even plant-based if you’re into that kinda thing.
Why do coffee and donuts go together?
Coffee and donuts have an unbreakable relationship. The acidity and bitterness of coffee cuts through the sweetness, making the donuts taste more delicious, while also making them moist and easier to ingest.
Furthermore, coffee contains caffeine that stimulates our energy levels but clouds our taste buds. As a result, this makes drinks and foods less tasty, triggering some sugar cravings.
The caffeine binds to the adenosine receptors in our brains. The adenosine chemical slows down the nerve cell activity, triggering drowsiness when binding with adenosine receptors.
Therefore, when the caffeine binds with these receptors, it speeds up the nerves and blinds our sensation for sweet flavors since the caffeine and glucose revs up the brain.
Drink with Donuts: Conclusion
Donuts taste good on their own, but they taste better when paired with hot or cold drinks. Milk and coffee are great pairings, but there’s more to donuts than milk or coffee.
Milk helps to mellow down the sweet taste of donuts and helps to lubricate dry donuts while creating sensations of umami flavor in the mouth.
On the other hand, coffee offers acidity and bitterness that pairs perfectly with any donuts flavor. The caffeine stimulate the brain and triggers sugar cravings.
An alternate beverage to pair instead of coffee is cider, milk, hot chocolate, wine, tea, juice, or smoothie.
Depending on the type of donuts and what filling, decoration, and flavor will ultimately affect the selection of drink pairing. Make a smart choice depending on what kind of donuts you are having so it can balance the taste and does not give you sugar overload.